Inferno
by SAR132-4
Summary: AU, Modern. Sokka and Suki are detectives when an arson case lands on the desk and Aang returns from leave, the squad's thrown into the world of a mad arsonist, vigilante justice and political corruption.  Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi fellow Avatar fans ^^, my first AU, like, ever. Hope you enjoy it, hope the chapter's long enough as well, sorry, I have short attention span when it comes to . . . anything. I'm n****ot exactly sure how to write romance, but I'll do my best to fit how the characters act in the show. If anyone anonymous wants to comment on my story and they have a DeviantArt account, I'll post my link up in my profile (I don't like anonymous reviews, sorry).**

**Summary: Sokka and Suki are detectives in the elite Criminal Investigation Division, a police squad dedicated to solving high profile and seemingly impossible cases. However, when an arson case lands on the desk, as well as Aang, returning from a year's leave, the squad's thrown into the world of a mad arsonist, vigilante justice and political corruption. And the CID will never be the same again . . . **

**Updates: When ever I can, but I'll try for once a week**

**Shipping/Pairings: Kataang, Sukka and Maiko. Possible Toph/OC.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Sokka's heart beat rapidly as he ran down the alley ways of the metropolis, chasing down the elusive thief. He paused in the darkened streets, his sharp blue eyes scanning the area. Suddenly he saw a flash of navy blue fabric and he was off again, turning the corner sharply and sprinting after the criminal, who was jumping on the dumpsters and cars that crowded the narrow alley.

"Police, stop!" Sokka shouted as he chased after the agile criminal, the shouting was futile, had it been effective, the runner would have stopped _five minutes ago_.

Again, the criminal turned a deaf ear as they ran out into the streets. Traffic was stopped up as the two runners sprinted, one being chased and the other doing the chasing. It was cold, Sokka's dark blue uniform rustled over the black Under Armor that covered his torso, his badge reflecting in the predawn light and his gun, nestled in its holster, smacked into his side from the running.

They were running down another alley, it seemed to be the area the thief preferred most, the blue-eyed cop growled in distaste. This was exhausting, who was this thief anyway? A triathlete? They had been running nonstop, Sokka was the only cop who had managed to keep up with fast lawbreaker, and he wasn't about to give up anytime soon. This annoying thief was wanted in over thirty breaking and entering cases, they had spent weeks trying to capture him, and now it was all winding down to a single chase.

"Almost got him," the detective said, a small smile crept up to his lips . . .

Suddenly Sokka found himself losing traction and balance as he stepped onto a patch of black ice, he skidded and lost complete control over himself as he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ugh," he groaned as he picked himself up, his elbow throbbing slightly from the fall, he saw his criminal running away, "The universe just _loves_ to prove me wrong," he said sarcastically as he glared at the thief was too far ahead for him to catch.

The thief ran towards the end of the alley, seemingly not noticing Sokka's plight as he ran out into the streets, a dark shape suddenly barreled into the hapless thief and tackled him to the ground. Sokka gaped in surprise as he saw a very smug Suki place her knee in between the perpetrator's shoulder blades and keep him on the ground as she slapped the handcuffs on him.

He ran up to the two as the female cop hoisted the captured criminal up, "How did you get here so quickly?" Sokka demanded, flabbergasted and wearing a very confused expression on his face. Suki had been the first one to break off from the foot chase.

Suki smirked and pointed to the squad car behind her, "I got a lift."

An officer leaned on the driver's side door of the patrol car and gave Sokka a little wave, "Hey Sokka!" he said as he sipped his steaming hot cup of coffee, his twinkling grey eyes peering at Sokka over the rim of the Styrofoam cup.

The officer grinned as Sokka's expression changed from surprise to recognition, "Aang!" the detective shouted in glee as he walked over and gave the young detective a pat on the back, "Good to see you buddy."

"Great to be back," Aang answered cheerfully.

Sokka walked up to the handcuffed thief and ripped the ridiculous ski mask off his face, revealing a teenager with scared eyes, he looked up fearfully at the two cops now that he was caught. Suki smirked, Sokka scowled, he was definitely _not_ happy having to chase the perpetrator for several blocks, only to get injured in the final seconds.

The teen gulped visibly as Suki lead him to the back of the patrol car, "Come on, let's go."

"Wait," Sokka said as he looked at the patrol car, "how am I going to get back to the station?"

Suki and Aang just cast him an evil grin as they entered the car and drove off without him, leaving him alone in the empty street, Sokka deadpanned as the car sped off, he sighed and reached for his radio, "Dispatch, I'm going to need a car at Fourth and Water Street."

* * *

In the heart of downtown, the brick building police headquarters stood, home of the Criminal Investigation Division. Detectives sat at desks, filling out paperwork or working on cases, once in a while, patrol officers would open the front doors and wrestle in caught law breakers, sending them to central booking or to one of the several interrogation rooms that lined the hall to the left of the entrance.

It was in one of these rooms that the caught bandit sat while Sokka, Suki and Aang stood outside. Captain Hakoda walked up to both of them, "Good job you two," he said proudly to the two cops as he smiled at them, "You've caught the Twilight Thief. And Aang, welcome back," he said as he gestured to his office, "Why don't we have a word?"

Aang nodded before following the Captain, Sokka gestured to the door, "Why don't you do the honors?"

Suki cast a sideways glance at Sokka before shrugging and walking into the interrogation room, Sokka choosing to stay in the next room over, looking at the proceedings.

The moment the teen saw Suki, he tensed up, afraid and began to sing like a canary, "I confess," he said quickly, "I confess! I robbed those houses, I'm so, so, so, so sorry! I didn't mean to, well . . . I mean, I kind of did. It won't happen again!"

"Uhh," Suki raised an eyebrow, she hadn't even said anything yet and the kid was confessing to pretty much everything, "I think I should call your parents . . ."

"No, please don't," the teen whimpered, "They'll kill me," he said as he panicked, "They don't know that I've been doing this. Oh man, what did I do? What did I do?"

It took several minutes of Suki talking to the young thief to calm him down and give her his personal information so they could put it on file and call up his parents. She left the interrogation room, annoyed yet surprised about how quickly that went, thought the process wasn't entirely painless.

"I think that was the quickest interrogation I've ever seen," Sokka said, voicing Suki's thoughts.

Suki agreed, "I'll say," they both had the same expression of disbelief on their faces.

Captain Hakoda walked up to the two, "Sorry to cut your interrogation short," he said.

"It's okay dad," Sokka said looking up to the captain, "We just wrapped up. What's going on?"

"There's been a fire in an apartment complex on Mountain Boulevard," he said solemnly, "There's been reports of multiple injuries and deaths."

"We're on it dad," Sokka replied as he nodded to Suki and they turned to leave.

A voice called out in the crowded precinct, "Hey, wait up!" Aang came jogging up, "Don't think you could leave without me, could you?"

Sokka grinned as they got into the department issued car for detectives, Suki sliding into the passenger's seat and Aang sitting in the back. They pulled out of the garage and into the streets of the metropolis. Cars were beginning to crowd the road, but they quickly made a path as Sokka barreled up the ribbon of asphalt, the sirens on the car blaring.

By the time they had reached the building, the fire was out, emergency vehicles crowded the streets as patrol officers cordoned off the whole road to allow for the blaze to be put under control. Firefighters walked out of the blackened building, some walking back to the truck, others rolling up hoses or giving directions to police officers.

Sokka exited the car, "What have we got?" he asked to an officer who had waved him over. He recognized the man as Haru, a friend of his at the academy.

"Fire," the mustached officer answered matter-of-factly, "Burnt down five apartments, damaged a couple others. There are loads of injuries, and not everyone in the building's been accounted for."

The detective nodded curtly as he gazed up at the building, still smoking, "When will it be safe to go in?"

"We're still assessing the structural integrity of the building," another, more husky voice spoke up. Sokka looked over to see one of the firefighters walking over, a patch on his helmet indicated he was a captain. His helmet was off and tucked under one of his arms, he looked at the detectives with his gold eyes that were covered with sweaty brown hair. A scar marred the left side of his face.

"Zuko," Sokka greeted with a surprised expression, "It's been a while," he said as his eyes fell on the captain's patch, "I see you've got promoted," he stated, trying to strike up a small conversation.

Zuko gave a single nod, as another firefighter came up, "Captain," the fireman said as he pointed back towards the house, "We found evidence of accelerant," he explained.

Another person exited the building, she nodded, "Building's clear," she called as she tucked a clipboard under her arm and took off the hardhat she had been wearing.

"Come on," Zuko said as he waved them over to the building, Sokka and Suki followed quickly, Aang looked at the blackened structure, still smoking a little, something flickered in his grey eyes before he too, followed the trio into the complex.

Sokka waved Haru off as he tried to follow, "Go look for evidence in the alley," he said as he pointed towards the back of the building.

Water dripped off of charred black walls and fell onto the floor in black puddles as firefighters milled around in what was left in the apartment building. They rooted around in the ashes and dumped copious amounts of water on still smoldering debris. It was a sight of horror in the most damaged rooms, there were the blackened skeletons of couches, pictures shriveled and burned beyond recognition, and the charred remains of people who couldn't get out in time. Suki felt a pang of sadness as she saw the remains of a teddy bear, coal black eyes shining from its blackened face.

Zuko followed the firefighter into one of the apartments that faced the back alleyway, "This apartment was abandoned when we came in," the firefighter was explaining, "There wasn't any sign of forced entry, but that may have been because the fire wiped out any sign of it. I found accelerant marks in the hallway."

Zuko knelt down next to the marks, "Looks like accelerant was used," he agreed as he looked up at Sokka, "Don't know what kind though."

"But it was definitely arson?" Suki asked as Zuko inspected the scorch marks. The fireman looked up and nodded.

"This definitely wasn't accidental," he replied, "Unless someone could 'accidently' spill a gallon of fuel on the ground and light it on fire."

Sokka nodded and turned to Suki, "Let's go see if anyone saw anything," he said as they both left the building, glad to be out of the place that stunk of smoke and charred flesh.

Fresh air greeted their senses as they got out of the building but so did the clamor of residents, bystanders and reporters. There were more than a few annoyed people glaring at the first responders as they tried in vain to get to their houses across the street from the fire. Reporters shouted hurried questions at taciturn and stoic policemen who only spoke when someone got too close. Bystanders stood by with cell phones and cameras, trying to capture the building with pictures and calls to loved ones.

The residents of the building stood in a shell shocked state as they stared up at the remains of what was once their home. Little kids stood crying at the loss of their belongings, husbands hugged their wives as they provided what little support they could. Others looked expectantly at the building or at the triage center, trying to see if their loved ones had made it out alive.

"I'll go see if any of the injured tenants saw anything," Aang said as he walked over to the triage center.

Suki nodded, "I'll interview the others," she replied as she motioned to Sokka, "Come on."

Aang watched as the partners left to interview the families huddled on the curb, he walked over to the triage center, seeing a very familiar paramedic as she tended to the burns on a toddler's arm.

"You're going to be okay," Katara comforted the sobbing toddler as she placed him so he was laying on the stretcher, two more medics took the toddler away as per her instructions. She could have been a doctor, she definitely had the brains, but Katara came from a relatively poor family, and rather than drive her father and brother into bankruptcy, she became a paramedic. She also liked the action and the life on the streets.

She threw her gloves into a trash bag and packed up her medical kit, the toddler was the last one to pass through the triage, she was concentrating so much on her work, she didn't notice Aang until he came up behind her.

"Hey Katara," Aang said cheerfully as he walked up.

"Hi Aang," Katara said offhandedly as she zipped the bag shut, her head suddenly jerked up and she turned around in surprise, "Aang!" she rushed forward and hugged him.

Aang hugged Katara back, "Good to see you Katara," he said happily.

"How long have you been back?" the medic asked when they parted, her intense blue eyes shining with joy that her best friend (and secret crush) was back.

Aang replied, "For a day, I would have visited, but I heard you were on shift, so . . ." he trailed off, his hand reaching back to rub the back of his head, a little color creeping to his cheeks.

"Hey Aang, have you finished interviewing the witnesses yet?" Sokka asked, coming up, "Hey sis," he greeted.

"Uh, no, not yet," Aang admitted as he turned away from Katara, "Maybe we can catch up sometime Katara?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Katara answered as another medic came up to the group.

As he walked up, Aang could see a straw hanging out the corner of his mouth, "We've got to go Katara, we've got another call," he said as he jerked his thumb back to the ambulance.

"I'll be right there Jet," Katara replied, she turned to leave, giving Aang a final wave before following Jet to the ambulance.

Sokka watched as the ambulance drove off, "So," he said, turning to Aang, "Suki and I interviewed the tenants, they said they didn't see anything. It was late at night, so everyone was asleep."

Aang nodded, about to answer when Haru appeared from the end of the alley, "Sokka! Aang! You guys have got to see this!" he called, motioning them over.

Sokka and Aang walked over, Suki joining them as Haru lead them through the narrow alley, "I was checking back here for evidence and I found fresh spray paint, which is strange because this alley's covered in ash and soot from the fire," he stopped at a point in the wall, where bright red paint covered part of the wall, a crime scene technician was snapping photos of the writing.

As they read the message painted on the wall, Aang's eyes widened, Sokka and Suki's eyes narrowed, because on the blackened wall, the vivid crimson paint stood out sharply as the message burned itself into the eyes of the cops, just like the flames had burned into the apartment building only two feet behind them.

"_The Fire Lord is back_"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Enters room with fanfare and confetti, I haz returned! Sorry, AP tests + evil math teacher + SAT's = monster writers block.**

**But my muse is back and active!**

* * *

The atmosphere in the squad room was solemn as Aang placed a few boxes on the large central table, he opened them up and with Sokka's help, they spread the contents out onto the surface. Pictures of burnt buildings, signed witness statements, autopsy reports and files lay scattered across the table. In the center lay a single page letter, a confession signed by the arsonist, the bold signature standing out, large among many small lines of text.

"Two years ago, the 'Fire Lord' arsonist terrorized the city," Aang began, briefing the squad, "Over a hundred fires in six months, thirty people dead and fifty wounded. We arrested this man," he said, lifting a mugshot of a man who smiled malevolently at the camera, "Ozai, for the fires and he confessed."

"He had the same MO as our most recent arsonist," Sokka continued, showing the photos of the accelerant marks and a picture of the only sign of forced entry in the room, a jimmied window, "He entered by jimmying open a window, then poured a gallon of fuel in the room and lit it on fire. These fires always occurred in the middle of the night and always in an occupied living space, usually an apartment building or hotel."

Hakoda stood with them at the table, "So you're saying we have a copycat?"

"No," Sokka said, pointing to a photo of the window jimmied open, "We never released that information to the press, so either we have a new arsonist who coincidentally has the same MO or . . ."

"Or, he's trained an apprentice," Aang finished for Sokka, "Both scenarios are not good.

"Which is why we need to deal with this quickly but thoroughly," Hakoda interjected, "Sokka, Suki, I'm going to need you two to track down and interview Ozai's family members, maybe they know what's up. Aang, my office," he waved the young detective over.

Aang nodded, following the captain into the private office at the head of the bull pen, Hakoda sat down at the desk, sitting up straight and looking at Aang, "It's been a year since you left," he started seriously.

"I know sir but I can handle this," Aang said, "I'm fully recovered and I'm ready to get back to fighting for justice and peace again."

Hakoda sighed, "I know you're physically recovered . . . I'm just worried about psychologically. Especially with this case popping up again."

"I'll be fine sir," Aang assured the Captain, "My previous experience with Ozai won't influence my ability to solve this case."

Hakoda seemed satisfied with this and nodded, "Very well then," he said, "Then there's something I need you to do . . ."

* * *

The firehouse was buzzing with activity as the night shift changed into the day shift. Tired and dirty fire fighters milled around in the locker room, getting on a clean change of clothes or taking a much needed shower.

Zuko stood at one of the lockers, putting his gear away after yet another long shift, he stuffed his jacket into the locker and slammed the door shut. He looked up seeing Sokka standing with a grim expression on his face.

"Zuko, we need to talk," Sokka said, motioning towards the back of the locker room where some privacy could be found, "It's about your dad."

A surprised expression came across the fire fighter's face and he nodded as he followed Sokka to the back of the locker room, "What about him?" he asked.

"The arson early this morning," Sokka began, "it wasn't some random nutjob who did this, it was someone who called themselves, 'The Fire Lord'."

The firefighter's eyes widened, "You mean my dad! But he's in jail, he's been in jail for the past two years."

A few firefighters glanced up at Zuko's sudden outburst, a questioning look on their face. A glare from Zuko quickly sent the men packing the last of their items up and leaving the immediate area.

"Yeah, funny how the two year anniversary of his arrest is coming up . . . and this fire just came up with the same MO. The MO, might I add, that only the investigating officers and family members knew about," Sokka looked pointedly at Zuko then.

Zuko looked defensive, "I didn't start that fire," he argued.

"Why should I trust you?" Sokka asked, staring hard at Zuko, "How do I know you didn't start that fire?"

"I put fires out, what motivation could I possibly have for starting them?" Zuko asked, exasperation showing on his face.

"Well maybe you wanted to start the fires so you _could_ put them out," the detective crossed his arms, a smug look on his face, "Hero complex, want to save everyone so you assume the identity of the most notorious criminal to ever terrorize the city. I get ya."

"You think I _want_ to be like my dad? He gave me this," Zuko pointed at his scar for added emphasis, "In one of his little 'experiments'," he gritted his teeth, "My dad is the last person on earth I'd want to be."

Sokka raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" he said skeptically as he held up a thick folder, "You seemed to have been involved in a lot of suspicious fires when you were a teen," he fanned himself with the manila folder.

Zuko glanced around the empty locker room, hoping no one on his team heard that, "I had a rough childhood and I made some mistakes . . . it seems to run in the family," he said, "Look, I was at the firehouse all evening, you can ask _anyone _in here and they'll vouch for me."

"I'll take your word for it," Sokka said, nodding in apparent satisfaction at the answer, "If you think of anything else," he said, turning to walk out of the locker room, "You know who to call."

* * *

"Thanks Iroh," Suki said, waving goodbye to the tea store owner and walking down the street with two styrofoam cups of piping hot tea. She joined Sokka at the corner and the two began walking down the street together, "Get anything from Zuko?" she asked as she handed him his cup.

"No," Sokka answered, taking the cup, "He was with his team all night, the alibi was airtight. How about you? I'm guessing you didn't have much luck with Iroh?"

Suki grinned, "Depends on what you call lucky," she said, holding up her cup of tea, "He gave me free tea," her expression sobered, "But he wasn't anywhere near the fire last night, he was serving customers at a party until dawn."

"So our two main persons of interest have alibis for the night," Sokka's expression darkened, "So we're back to square one."

"Not exactly, we still haven't questioned Azula," Suki said, sipping at her tea, "Or all the other criminals associated with Ozai. There's still a lot we need to cover."

The two detectives reached their car and got in, Sokka sliding into the driver's seat while Suki sat in the passenger's seat. Sokka pulled out the spot and accelerated onto the street with a little more speed than necessary. The detective ignored the honks and cuss words from the other drivers as he sped up on the street.

"I honestly don't know how you got your license," Suki muttered, deadpanning as Sokka seemed to take that as an invitation to speed up even more.

Sokka glanced sideways and grinned at Suki, "Problem?" he asked, swerving expertly around the cars on the interstate as they approached the CID headquarters.

"Shouldn't we be headed to Azula's last known address and questioning her about these arsons?" Suki wondered as Sokka pulled into his parking space.

Sokka turned the car off and stared at Suki, "We can't, her apartment burned down months ago, and she disappeared without a trace."

"We'll have to go track her down . . . that is if she's still alive," Sokka continued as they got out of the car and walked into the bullpen, "But let's focus on people Ozai could have trained, people he was close to that were not family. People we can track down easily."

"Like Zhao, Mongke and Yon Rha," Suki said, "Yon Rha's in prison and Mongke was killed in a bust last week . . . so that only leaves," she picked up the mugshot of a formidable looking man with a cruel smile. Brown sideburns knifed down his face ending in a beard, honestly it made him look like some homicidal monkey.

"Zhao, career criminal charged with extortion, fraud and aggravated assault," Sokka said, pulling his file from a cabinet, "Looks like he may have upgraded to arson and first degree murder."

"He has a warrant on him too," Suki said, checking on the computer, "Let's go get him," she said, her blue eyes glinting as she grinned.

A voice stopped them as they were about to leave, "Wait just a moment, you're not going anywhere to question Zhao, not without back up," Hakoda stepped out of his office, his arms crossed as he looked at his son and his subordinate sternly.

"Great, then we'll take Aang with us, three against one," Sokka said, scanning the room for his friend, "Where is he?"

"Aang's at the prison . . ." the captain said, "Talking to Ozai."

* * *

Grey concrete walls towered over Aang as he walked into the dark, cold halls of the Boiling Rock Maximum Security Penitentiary. Guards patrolled the corridors and stood on tall watch towers, ready to react at the slightest hint of a riot.

Aang entered the main office, flashed his badge and relinquished is weapon, he glanced up as the warden approached him, "I need to talk to Ozai," the detective said.

"Your captain called," the warden said, motioning for Aang to follow him, "I know why you're here," he said.

They walked down to the basement, where the most dangerous criminals were held, the level chilled Aang to the bone and he shivered involuntarily. They walked past a few metal encased capsules and Aang gazed at them curiously.

"Those are the 'coolers' we throw unruly prisoners in there until they learn their lesson," the warden explained, noting Aang's expression.

"That sounds inhumane," Aang said, casting a sharp look at the warden.

His comment was only greeted by a nonchalant shrug, "Listen kid . . . when you've lived, ate and fought with criminals as long as I have... you notice that none of these guys are human," he stopped in front of a small caged room, a man sat in a chair behind a metal table. His head was down and his chained arms rested comfortably in his lap.

"Here you go detective," the warden nodded for the guard posted at the door to step aside, "Just let the guard know when you're finished."

Aang nodded and took a deep breath, he opened the door to the cage and walked into the room.

"Well hello there detective," the man said, looking up from his lap, revealing a haggard and cruel face, "Nice of you to visit me down here in this lonely prison cell."

"It's good to see you too," Aang said, sitting across from the man, "Ozai."

"And for what do I owe this pleasure?" Ozai asked, sitting up in his chair and grinning at Aang maliciously, "I know you didn't come here for a social visit."

Aang slapped a file on the table, "We had another fire, same MO as yours. Who's your partner?"

"I work alone, you of all people should know that," Ozai said his expression smug, "How is your back by the way?"

"I'm fine," Aang said, keeping his emotions in check, "We're talking about you and how someone is copying your MO."

Ozai shrugged, settling back in his chair, "What can I say detective, I have fans. Don't you have fans? Being the big hero and saving the city from me?"

"I was just doing my job," Aang said, putting his arms on the table and folding his hands, "Who knows about how you committed the crimes?"

"Let's see," Ozai said, thinking for a moment, "Well, my wife knew, but she's dead, Azula knew, but she seems to have disappeared last time I've heard . . . ah," he said, his face lighting up, "Zuko knows and he's still around . . . why don't you go question him."

"I'm sure my partners are on it," Aang stated curtly, "Now-,"

Ozai interrupted the young detective, "Partners? They seriously let you have new partners after what happened the last time? They trusted you that much?"

Aang stood up, slamming his hands angrily on the table, "My partners died because of you," he growled, "So, yes, they trusted me."

"Not the way I saw it," Ozai grinned, "You left your partners to die."

"I. Did. Not." Aang snarled, getting up, "We're done here," he said abruptly, turning to leave the room.

"I hope we'll get to chat again Aang," Ozai called after the detective, his voice filled with gleeful malice, "And soon," he chuckled as the door to the cage slammed shut.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hiya! Sorry about the delay (once more) I'm trying to teach myself Calculus and Tumblr has become a black hole in which I can't escape. BTW: there's still room for the RP that goes along with this story. We need a Katara (preferably one who ships Kataang) and Toph. At the very least. Just apply at modernatlarp (dot) tumblr (dot) com!**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

She sat in one of the dark buildings that lined the streets deep in mob territory, she flicked on a lighter, revealing her expressionless face. The flickering light glinted off of her golden eyes as she stared deep into the flame, almost mesmerized by its beauty.

Fire.

It was such a beautiful element, full of heat and passion. It destroyed, burned everything in its path and reduced almost everything to a fine ash.

Azula smiled as she snapped the lighter shut, it was a cruel smile, one with malice and murderous intent. She'd get her revenge . . . she'd get it soon enough.

* * *

Aang walked out of the prison, he had calmed down since leaving Ozai's cell, his years of being raised by monks had taught him to control his emotions. He walked through the parking lot, thinking about everything Ozai had told him . . . he almost didn't notice Sokka leaning against his car.

"Aang," Sokka greeted with a wave, "How did it go? Get anything from Ozai?"

Aang shook his head, "Nothing of use."

"Yeah, I doubted that that Jerk Lord would give you anything," Sokka said, laughing to himself, "Jerk Lord. That's a good one."

"Why are you here then?" the younger detective asked, a look of confusion crossing over his features.

"We're going to question Zhao," Sokka explained, jerking his head towards the car, where Suki was waiting in the passenger's seat, "We were wondering if you wanted to come along for back up."

"Sure," Aang answered.

Sokka nodded, "Great," he said, handing Aang the address.

Aang got into his car and drove off, following Sokka's car.

"Zhao's got a warrant out on him, third time he's been arrested for a major crime," Suki said, "He'll be desperate."

"Yeah, no telling what he'll do to escape," Sokka agreed, "Suki . . . Be careful, okay?"

Suki glanced at Sokka, raising an eyebrow, but all she said was, "Okay, you be careful too."

* * *

They reached the small building which was listed as Zhao's address, it was quiet save for the group of shady figures hanging out across the street. They nudged each other and glanced at the detectives as they exited their vehicle.

"The Dai Li," Suki said, casting them a glare, "I can't believe they're still in control of the streets."

"Until we find their leader, they'll still be in control," Sokka said, glaring at them as well, "Come on, let's go get Zhao."

Suki nodded and followed Sokka up the steps, Aang was close behind, gazing out at the street, making sure the Dai Li or anyone else didn't try anything funny. Sokka pounded on the door, "Police! Open up, we have a warrant!"

There was a loud crash inside and Sokka glanced at Suki once before kicking in the door. The wood gave way with two well placed kicks and the trio ran inside, guns drawn.

"Suki, take the basement, Aang, up stairs," Sokka said, directing them with hand signals, "Careful, he could be anywhere in here."

The three split up, moving cautiously through the house, Suki walked down the stairs slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light of the basement, her ears strained to hear any noise above her pounding heart beat and her own footsteps.

The smell of alcohol, marijuana and mildew invaded her senses and she had to pause for half a second to let herself get used to the odor.

She stepped onto the floor, scanning the area and taking small steps forwards, being careful not to miss anything.

"Police, come out with your hands in the air," she said.

She heard Sokka and Aang exchange shouts, probably saying that their respective level was clear. She had yet to clear the basement, there were a lot of places to search.

The basement was filled with wooden crates, '_Probably filled with illegal weapons or drugs,_' she thought to herself. She heard something move behind her and she turned quickly to face the threat.

Two shots rang out.

* * *

Aang cleared the upper level quickly enough, it was really just a large room, a bed covered with silk sheets was set up against one wall, on the opposite wall was a large screen TV. A few computers were set up on a large desk that was placed against the remaining wall.

Aang looked jealously at all the hardware in this room, "This is probably worth more than my yearly salary," he groaned.

He holstered his gun and called down to Sokka, "It's clear up here!"

"It's clear down here too!" he heard Sokka shout back.

"Time to start investigating," he said, getting gloves out of his pocket and putting them on.

He then turned to the computers, pressed the space bar and watched as the log in screen popped up. He made a mental note to let the tech experts handle getting into the computer. He turned and looked around the room once more, his sharp eyes spotting a pile of clothes in the corner, he rooted through the pile, finding a black coverall.

"Why would he need a coverall?" Aang wondered to himself, he picked it up and sniffed it, he smelled ash and something else, gas.

His eyes widened, and then he heard the two gun shots, "Sokka, Suki!"

* * *

Sokka heard Aang's shout that it was clear, he nodded, he had just cleared things down here too, "Clear down here too!" he shouted back, "Suki?"

He heard the shots.

"SUKI!"

He quickly drew his gun again and ran to the basement steps, "The shots are coming from down there!"

He ran down the stairs, his heart pounded as he saw a still form lying amongst the crates.

"Suki!"

He rushed to his partner's side, "Suki," he said again, looking at the two bullet holes in her shirt, there was no blood though.

Suki lay on the ground, gasping for air, "Vest . . ." she said, "Quick . . . Zhao . . . back door . . . don't let. . . escape . . . "

Sokka got up quickly, "Let's go!" he said to Aang, "Call for EMS too," he ran out of the back door and into the alley Zhao escaped into.

Aang nodded, reaching for his radio as he ran out behind Sokka, "Dispatch, this is CID Portable, we need EMS at 900 Ember Avenue, this is a 10-00, officer down, I repeat, 10-00, officer down."

They made their way quickly through the small alley, checking dark corners and behind crates. Then Sokka spotted a figure running up ahead, "POLICE! Stop!"

The figure turned and fired on Sokka and Aang, the two ducked as the bullets flew past their heads.

When they looked back up, the man was gone.

"He couldn't have disappeared," Sokka said, keeping his weapon level, "Careful, he's probably hiding."

"Good thing you're good at hide-and-seek, right?" Aang offered hopefully.

Sokka grinned, "Yeah, I'm pretty good at it," he said, "detective skills, you know?"

Aang laughed but stopped short as a plan began to form in his mind, "But I have an idea for getting Zhao out," he whispered to Sokka, "Just follow my lead."

Sokka nodded and Aang holstered his weapon and began walking back from where they came from, "Come on Sokka, we're going back."

The older detective gaped, "What? We can't go back."

"Sure we can," Aang said with a shrug, "We can't find Zhao."

Further ahead, Zhao hid behind a dumpster, watching the scene play out. He grinned, he was so close to escaping.

Sokka caught on, "Okay, let's go back then."

Aang grinned, "Anyway, it'd be a waste of precious resources to look for a third rate criminal like him. I mean, what was his warrant for? An unpaid parking ticket?" he laughed.

Zhao felt a vein start throbbing in his forehead. How dare they mock him!

"Yeah, he's not worth our time," Sokka agreed, a devious smirk on his face, "You know his street name is The Admiral?"

"Really? He looks more like a Commander Monkeyface to me!" Aang grinned.

"Or Captain Hothead!" Sokka added.

Zhao snapped, diving out into the middle of the alley and firing blindly at the two detectives, "It's Admiral Zhao!" he fired until the only sound coming from his gun were clicks.

Sokka and Aang dove behind cover as soon as Zhao had popped up, they waited until they didn't hear the gun firing and they stood back up, guns raised, "Someone out of ammo?" Sokka asked, "Drop the gun and put your hands in the air!"

Zhao turned to run, but Aang was already one step ahead of him, the detective barreled forward, catching up to Zhao and cutting him off. Zhao swung wildly at Aang, but the detective was too quick, "What's the matter Zhao? Can't keep up?" Aang grinned as Zhao let out a furious shout and tried to hit Aang again.

Aang just side stepped the blow and grabbed the man's arm, twisting it and throwing him neatly to the ground, "You're under arrest for assaulting a police officer, evading arrest and for extortion. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?" Aang asked as he handcuffed the struggling criminal.

"Screw you!" Zhao spat.

Sokka smirked, "We'll take that as a yes," he said, helping Aang haul Zhao out of the alley, "Come on Baboon Breath."

"It's. Zhao!"

"Whatever," Sokka said, laughing to himself, "'Baboon - Breath' . . . still got it."

They met up with an officer who took Zhao to the waiting patrol car. Sokka then looked at the ambulance parked on the curb, he saw Suki sitting on the stretcher, her vest was off and Katara was looking her over.

"Suki, are you okay?" Sokka asked, walking over to his partner, his eyes were filled with worry.

She nodded, "Yeah, the bullets caught in the vest, I'm going to have a heck of a bruise . . . and a few cracked ribs, but I'll be okay."

"We still need to take you to the hospital," Katara said, "to check for internal injuries."

"I'm fine though," Suki tried to protest.

Sokka shook his head, "Go to the hospital Suki, get checked out and we'll handle Zhao."

Suki begrudgingly allowed herself to be put on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance, before Katara could get into the back however, Aang came up and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey Katara," the detective said with a child-like grin on his face, he held up a hand in greeting.

Katara smiled, "Hi Aang. Are you worried about Suki? She's going to be fine, we just have to take her to the hospital to make sure."

"That's great, but I came for another reason, I was wondering if you . . . and me . . . want to go out. To dinner," he said, finishing the last part rather quickly and beaming at her.

"You mean, 'catch up'?" Katara asked, a knowing grin on her face, "That'd be great."

"Well, yeah . . ." Aang began uncertainly, "Really?" his features lit up with surprise.

"Sure," she said, "I get off at six today, so want to meet up at seven?"

Aang's smile widened, "Great! I mean, yeah, sure, if that's cool with you," he said, trying to downplay it a bit. Hard when talking to someone you've been crushing on for the past few years.

"It's a date then," Katara said.

Aang blushed and she giggled, "Well, see you at seven, where are we meeting up?"

"How about the Jasmine Dragon?" Aang asked. The Jasmine Dragon was most famous for its tea, but it had a wide variety of delicious food as well. Everything from spiced dumplings to egg custard tarts to sea prune stew.

Katara nodded, "Sounds good, I'll see you at seven," she boarded the ambulance and closed the doors, signaling to the driver up front to start driving.

The detective watched the ambulance drive away, a love struck expression on his face, "See you Katara," he said dreamily, waving.

* * *

The commotion at the building still hadn't died down yet, there was a lot of evidence to be bagged and logged and there were still witnesses that had to be interviewed and alibis that had to be corroborated.

Sokka stood at the center of it, giving orders to other police men and cracking bad jokes once in a very short while. He finally decided to take a break, stepping out of the building and into the street, hoping for some fresh air.

Instead, he was greeted by three Dai Li members. One man stood in front of the two other flanking members, he wore dark sunglasses and had a serious expression on his face.

Sokka glared, "If you know what's good for you, you'd get out of my way."

"If you knew what was good for you, Detective Sokka, you'd stop investigating this arson case. Immediately," the man replied, not wavering under the detective's glare.

"Ten people died in that fire, I want justice for whoever did it," Sokka retorted, "I'm not going to stop investigating. So again, get out of my way."

The Dai Li member showed little emotion other than frowning a little, he turned and walked away, his two underlings following him.

Sokka grinned, "Yeah, that's right, you turn back!" he said, glad he won that battle.

The Dai Li member disappeared into an alley, he looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched before he pulled out his cellphone, he dialed and put the phone to his ear.

"Sir . . . Yes, I talked to him . . . No sir, he didn't back down . . . I understand completely sir . . . Yes sir," he hung up, looking at his underlings, "Long Feng wants to meet us in thirty, at the Earth District Tavern."

Thirty minutes later, the Dai Li members walked into a dimly lit bar, cigar smoke partially obscured the lights and gave the whole room a hazy look. The men walked to a table at the far corner of the bar and the leader revealed himself.

"Long Feng . . . sir," they said and bowed respectfully.

Long Feng's eyes narrowed, "Don't do that out in public, I don't want people to risk seeing me . . . come on, sit."

The men sat across from Long Feng, "Sir, the detectives won't back off from the case."

"I know that and I'll deal with it, just keep watching the detectives, find as much about them as possible and report back to me. If scare tactics won't work, we'll just have to deal with them on the inside," Long Feng's mouth curled into a condescending smirk, "We'll stop this investigation in its tracks."

* * *

**Took me all night to write that . . . _ Next chapter - Katara and Aang catching up/dating. Whichever one you prefer. ;)**


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